FORT MYERS, Fla. – Senior Dolly Cairns produced a team-high 15 points Saturday in Florida Gulf Coast University's 65-43 Senior Day win over Stetson at Alico Arena.
"We were just locked into the game plan," head coach Chelsea Lyles said. "Everybody did their job and knew what we were trying to accomplish. It was a full team effort."
Four of the nine seniors started Saturday. Cairns, Emani Jefferson, Khamari Mitchell-Steen and Lauryn Taylor were the first seniors to see action. Eight of the nine seniors played in Saturday's win and six scored.
Jefferson provided 10, Alahna Paige had nine, Taylor added seven, Skyler Gill produced five and Mitchell-Steen pitched in four in FGCU's 22-point victory. Both Cairns and Paige hit three trifectas, combining for six of FGCU's eight triples on Saturday.
"To get everyone together and celebrate what we have been able to accomplish this year, it's awesome and a great feeling," Cairns said. "We are going to take this win and use it as momentum going forward."
FGCU started the game on a 13-0 run. Taylor cleaned up an early Cairns three that just rimmed out to make it 7-0. Cairns did not miss her second time around on a give-and-go from Gill, draining a triple to make it 11-0 Eagles and forced a Hatters timeout.
Defensively, FGCU kept the Hatters scoreless for nearly nine minutes to open the game. Stetson's first point of the contest was scored at the 1:41 mark of the first quarter on a free throw attempt. FGCU limited Stetson to a 7.7 shooting percentage as the Hatters made only one of their first 13 shots. After 10 minutes of play, FGCU held an 18-4 advantage.
With 3:48 to go in the second, Taylor picked off a pass and ran coast-to-coast for an easy two-point finish, forcing another Stetson timeout now up 33-9. FGCU went on a 16-0 run in the quarter and closed the half on an 18-2 run, taking a 39-11 lead heading into the break. FGCU led by as many as 38 in the third quarter, possessing an insurmountable 61-23 lead at one point. FGCU dominated in every facet for 30 minutes. The Eagles secured a double-digit win in conference play for the 13th time this season despite being outscored 20-4 in the final period as the Hatters tried to make the game appear much closer than what it really was.
FGCU (23-3, 14-0 ASUN) has won 16 straight games and has yet to lose in 2025. FGCU also extended its ASUN win streak to 47 consecutive victories, a streak that dates back to Jan. 21, 2023.
The Eagles shift their focus to Thursday for a pivotal road battle at second-place Central Arkansas (19-6, 13-1 ASUN). Tipoff on ESPN+ is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
